The recent win by Kami Chisholm (drkamikaze1) in the SCOOP Event 4-L Badugi tournament was a first for women in the event and Chisholm’s first SCOOP win. But Chisholm is no newcomer to poker as her second place finish in the 2009 WCOOP PLO8 event for $47,000 and her live event win at the PCA attests (see interview below). But she is thrilled to be doing extraordinarily well overall in SCOOP this year with two final table finishes and an impressive slot on the SCOOP leaderboard.

Her win in the badugi event ($9,003) along with a fourth place finish ($5,900) in the SCOOP Event 10-M Stud tournament gives her an overall ranking of 31-35 on the SCOOP leaderboard. A huge “congratulations” to her, with wishes for even more success to come. And there’s still time to make it an even bigger and better year for women.

That’s exactly what PokerStars was thinking when they decided to offer a $5.50/$0.50 satellite to this Sunday’s Low $109 Main Event with a buy-in that affords even players on a limited budget a chance to get into the action. So there’s still time for you to make your mark in this year’s SCOOP and possibly bring home a championship. You can find the satellite under the tournament number #552603719.

With that in mind, PokerStars Women spoke with Kami shortly after she won the tournament, and posed a few questions about her approach. Reading about her success is sure to fire you up for this Sunday’s tournament, so register now, and start planning your assault.

PokerStars Women: You’ve won a live event at the PCA in Limit Hold ‘Em (2010 PCA Event #26, Limit Hold’em Six Handed), finished second in the 2009 WCOOP PLO8 for $47,000, won the Venetian Deep Stack Horse Event, placed fifth in the WSOP Ladies Event, and now this. You’re a very versatile and dangerous player it seems! Have you made an effort to master a lot of different games, or is that just how it worked out?

Kami: Most people have a hard time with being strong at a lot of games, which is why HORSE tournaments are my favorite, and why I have had the most success in them. I tend to get bored pretty easily, so being able to play a lot of different games keeps me interested and fresh, so I don’t get into a rut. It’s also really fun when a series like SCOOP or WCOOP comes around, because I know I can have a shot at the tournament series leaderboards. It’s much easier for a skilled mixed-game player to cash in a lot of tournaments than for a NLHE specialist (except maybe Isildur!) as the fields are smaller, and with the slow structures of SCOOP and WCOOP, the edge is higher for a versatile player.

PSW: Can you tell us how you decide which events to play?

Kami: My plan has always been to play as many SCOOP events as possible, as I’m a tournament specialist who focuses on the limit games and PLO8. So I am playing all of the medium and low limit events, and as many of the high events as I can as well.

PSW: So why badugi?

Kami: Badugi is not my favorite game, but I do enjoy playing it. I’d like to play it more, but there are very few badugi MTTs that are above micro limits, which I rarely play anymore.

PSW: It’s a difficult game to master and not that well-known. How did you get started in it?

Kami: The same way I learned all the limit games, by just jumping in and starting to play. I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered the game; I don’t even think I’m particularly strong at it. Rather, I think I’m just good at limit MTTs in general.

PSW: What was it like when you realized you had won the tournament?

Kami: Well, I was expecting to win the hand, so it wasn’t a shock. But we were playing heads-up for a long time, and I had been playing for almost 14 hours straight at that point, so I was very happy for it to be over and to have won!

When I’m deep in a tournament, I never look at the prize payouts, as it’s not really about the money to me. Not that I mind the cash of course, but I don’t look because I want to keep the focus on winning, no matter what. Thinking about the prize pool is just a big distraction from that.

PSW: You played in Monte Carlo recently as a PokerStars Women Live satellite winner. What was that like, and what did you think of Monte Carlo?

Kami: I love playing the women’s events, so I was thrilled to win a package. Women are always so much fun to play with, and Monte Carlo itself is a trip. I feel like I definitely got to see how the “other 1%” live! I’m happy to be back home in the real world now though.

PSW: Have you had a specific type of training program in poker?

Kami: I’m pretty much self-taught in the limit games, where I learn mostly through playing and book study. I have had some great NL coaches, and I have watched a lot of videos and done other training for NL. It’s amazing how much I always feel I still have to learn though.

I don’t know that I would say I’m one of the top players at any specific game, but I think I’m above average, which is enough to be a winning player. Remember, you don’t have to be the best player in the world to win, you just have to be better (or luckier) than the folks at your table on a particular day!

For more on Kami’s success this year, see Brad Willis’ earlier PokerStars blog report. And for more on upcoming events, see PokerStars Women.

Tags: action | entertainment | ept | facebook | france poker series | italian | italian poker tour | SCOOP | UKIPT | wcoop | World Series of Poker

Mother’s Day will be celebrated this weekend (Sunday, May 13) in 78 countries around the world. Other countries observe the day at various times, but regardless of when it’s celebrated, it’s a special day for moms and those who love them. We know from interviews and comments we get that many of our female players are moms, so it seems like a perfect time to recognize some of the moms who play on PokerStars. We sent a few questions to some of our loyal readers on the PokerStars Women Facebook fan page and got some great responses.

PokerStars Women (PSW): Why is poker important to you?

Hanna Syrayaveva, (ipokergirl13) from Russia, responded with an answer that surprised us. “I love poker because it’s a way to relax and have some fun, while keeping my head sharp. While I play I let go of all the stress, so maybe I can say I find in poker a way to meditate, relax, and still make some money!” Poker as a meditation technique–never heard that before–but if you’re a busy mom as she is (with a seven-year-old daughter) poker could seem very relaxing by comparison.

Another player, Tina Van Thuyl (GigglesVT online) says that poker started as a hobby for her–”something to do at night when the kids were asleep,” but before she knew it she was enjoying playing in the Women’s Poker League. “The ladies that I run into often are some of the most polite and friendliest ladies ever. They have taught me a lot about myself and how I play, and how I can improve.” But poker is apparently not all they talk about. “We are women, we talk about EVERYTHING,” she said with a laugh.

PSW: If you have a daughter, do you plan to teach her the game? If so, why would you tell her it’s important?

Hanna: I have a seven-year-old daughter and she has been around poker from the day she was born. Poker is everywhere around our house. My husband played professionally for several years, so I will quote him, although I share the same thoughts. “Poker teaches you three very important skills to have in life–1) the ability to catch layers, 2) mathematics, and 3) bankroll management.”

Tina: Yes, I’m teaching my daughter to play. I’ve told her it’s a game of fun, numbers, patterns, and a great way to meet new people. Oh, and finally, when mommy does win big she will be able to reap the rewards!

PSW: How do you work poker into the busy lifestyle of being a mom? When do you play?

Hanna: This is the tricky part; sometimes it’s complicated to make the time to play. It’s especially hard because I prefer and do better playing MTTs. So I have to choose weekends and holidays to play this format. Other days I may play after dinner or play some SNG’s or Hyper Turbo Satellites. But now with PokerStars Mobile I will be able to play a bit more. There is time for everything if we plan right.

Tina: I’m fortunate to work for my husband and his small business, so my work schedule is flexible. I play mainly at night though, once my daughter (the youngest) is asleep. I have a deal with the kids that they let me play one Sunday afternoon a month.

Another player Sheri-Lee Yarema responded: I’m still trying to figure it out myself! But online play and multitasking makes it at least possible for me.

Gill Kerr says that poker and kids is “easy as pie” to manage. “Mobile poker is the way forward! I love the PokerStars Mobile App!

And here’s a solution that is the answer to every busy mom’s desire to have just a few hours to herself once in a while–Berta Simonenkovaite has the answer. “We solved the problem in our family by getting a summer cottage where I spend a few days a week just playing poker. We have three kids between the ages of 3 and 9, and with two moms in the family it works perfectly. They never have to live without one.” A summer cottage where you can get away to play poker sounds like a dream come true–let’s put that one on the wish list. Sounds like a perfect way to spend a big cash on PokerStars!

PSW: How much do you play online as opposed to live?

Hanna: I play much more online than live. I still feel a little intimidated when playing live. Too much testosterone! I need more women. That is something I’m working on.

Tina: 99.9 percent of my play is online, but I’m looking forward to gaining experience in live play.

Have you ever played a PokerStars Women Live event?

Hanna: Sadly, no, but it must be so much fun. We always follow the EPT on the PokerStars blog, and all the girls seem so friendly, fun, and skilled. Maybe next year!

Tina: Unfortunately no, but I’m trying to catch up to my husband who won his way through a satellite in the LAPT in Uruguay last August, and also got to play for Team Canada in the America’s Cup of Poker (Robert “SintBest” Van Thuyl).
And finally, a comment from Alyson Parker sums up what it’s like to be a busy poker playing mom. “My kid is grown (25) but when she calls on the weekend she does say “Are you in a hand?” a lot. We’ve probably all heard that one a few times!

Multitasking or meditating, moms on PokerStars today seem to know how to make it work. Hats off to them and to moms everywhere as they celebrate their special day. And if your mom is a poker player, think about giving her the gift that keeps on giving–time to play a tournament or two. You never know–she might take you on that next big trip she wins!

Tags: business | delicious | european | house | italian poker tour | kids | lapt | news | planets | wbcoop

Monaco: The second smallest country in the world (behind Vatican City) and a hub for the rich and famous. It is glitzy, full of glamour and very apt for the 2012 PokerStars and Monte Carlo® Casino EPT Grand Final. Season 8 was about to come to an end and we were going to do it in style.

Having come straight from Berlin to Monaco, I was already fighting the fatigue, but to arrive in this Billionaire’s Playground, the sun shining, the sky blue and the Mediterranean glistening a beautiful turquoise, I woke up again. Taking a stroll around the famous Princess Grace Avenue and becoming lost on winding pieces of Grand Prix track, I was made fully aware how beautiful this tiny municipality was. It’s the only place I have been to where instead of getting woken up by a cleaning lady hovering out in the corridor or banging on my door, I was woken instantaneously by the whirr of a Ferrari engine. Morning, noon and night, all I could hear was fast cars, sounds of laughter, champagne pouring and wads full of money being flashed about. This place wasn’t cheap, but having explored the streets for two days before the tournament got under way, I was learning how to economize in a place built for multi-millionaires.

Everywhere we walked, there were signs of the preparation for the Formula One Grand Prix taking place in just a few weeks time. I would have loved to have been in Monaco for this, but we knew having the EPT Grand Final and the F1 Grand Prix at the same time might have been a recipe for disaster in terms of the amount of people in this tiny country. We arrived in Monaco for the poker just the day after the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters tennis took place as well, so I was hoping for a surprise soiree with Raphael Nadal who took it down (unsurprisingly) but it was not to be. I did however meet Djokovich’s economist in the pool doing some lengths at Le Meridien Beach Plaza, who was full of surprisingly interesting conversation and we swapped poker gossip for tennis chat, which pleased me no end.

Here is our sightseeing tour video for Monaco. Please note, obviously as I stated previously Ferraris are everywhere here, but when we are waiting for one to feature in our video, does it want to arrive? The answer is no, but waiting for it did help my tan to progress a lot:

The Grand Final began with the €100,000 Super High Roller event, which to me is an insane amount of money; I still can’t quite get my head around it. Nonetheless, there were still 38 entrants and a total of 45 registrations as players did have a choice to re-register if they lost all their chips at the beginning. This created a prize pool of €4,432,500 and it was just as good Justin Bonomo did decide to re-register when he bust out, because he went on to win the event for €1,640,000. Not bad for three days work. Here is our interview shortly after he took it down:

The Main Event had already gotten under way by the time Justin had shone in the glory of taking down the Super High Roller title. Play moved pretty quickly through the first few days and we saw a total of 665 players take their seats, creating a prize pool of €6.65m and a first place prize of €1.35m. Five Team PokerStars Pros made the money, including Max Martinez (Italy) for €15,000, Angel Guillen (Mexico) and Sandra Naujoks (Germany) for €20,000, and Richard Toth (Hungary) and Matthias De Meulder (Belgium) for €30,000. Yet 34th was to be the best place for our Team Pros. Justin Bonomo had also made the money, after not feeling completely satisfied by his win of €1,640,000 in the Super High Roller; he also cashed for €35,000 in 28th place. Yet, it was Mohsin Charania who eventually took the EPT Grand Final down.

Mohsin Charania

He was heads-up against French mademoiselle and well-known online player (known as SoMuchB online), Lucille Cailly, who was the only lady to have ever made a final table at the Grand Final. She played superbly with a huge amount of aggression, but Charania just had the edge in the action of a very fast-paced final table. He spoke to us just after his win:

Now, because this was the Grand Final, things just didn’t end once the winner of the main event had been announced. There was still the €25,000 High Roller, Tournament of Champions and the EPT Awards and party to contend with. (I told you we were going to go out with a bang!) To say Justin Bonomo was running well was an understatement. He wins the Super High Roller, cashes in the main and now suddenly becomes chip leader going into the final table of the €25,000 Hi Roller. He didn’t eventually win it, but he still made fourth place for another €266,000. Madness. We left it to Daniel Negreanu and Igor Kurganov to battle it out for the €1,080,000 first prize, yet it was Kurganov who eventually took this one down, though we could tell Daniel really wanted his first EPT title.

There was always the party, which we of course saw him at partying away until the wee small hours of the morning. As I prepared for the EPT Awards and my final night in the Billionaire’s Playground, Christophe Benzimra was busy winning the Tournament of Champions (with EPT Loutraki Champ Zimnan Ziyard coming second and EPT Deauville Champ Jake Cody in third) netting themselves a huge amount of buy-ins for Season 9 on the EPT.

We leave you with the EPT Awards, which show some of the winners for Player of the Year, Online Qualifier of the Year, Player’s Choice, Achievement of the Year and Country of the Year:

No doubt about it, Season 8 and all its 13 stops had been a whirlwind of poker, travel and fun explorations, but we have even more hope and anticipation for Season 9 on the greatest poker tour of them all, the EPT.

Tags: archives | Battle of the Planets | belgian poker series | estrellas poker tour | European Poker Tour | latin-america | micromillions | pca | wbcoop

You could say Team Pro Victoria Coren had a good trip to Monaco. She began the Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final with an historic win in the €5,000 Heads-Up tournament over specialist Melanie Weisner. A few days later, Coren was heads-up yet again, this time for the PokerStars Women Grand Final title. Although Spanish pro Leo Margets prevailed, Coren impressed and amused by live multi-tabling the final table of the Women’s Event with the concurrent tournament of champions, a freeroll she qualified for from winning the 2006 EPT Main Event in London.

In this interview, Vicky talks to PokerStars Women about why Melanie Weisner reminds her of herself, changing her mind on women’s events and how she plans to spend the €60,000 she pocketed with her heads-up title.

PokerStars Women (PSW)- Congrats on your EPT Heads-Up Grand Final title! You ended up playing HU specialist Melanie Weisner in the final. What was that match like?

Victoria Coren (VC)- It was really fun with Melanie. I was slightly embarrassed that at one point on the PokerStars blog they ran up a thing going “Oh Vicky and Melanie are talking about boys, and love and what’s the right age to get married.” I was like, “Brilliant, we’ve been playing for four-and-a-half hours and someone walked by at just the bit when we were talking about that kind of thing. And people will be rolling their eyes saying “For heaven’s sake–women in any context . . . Maybe in a women’s boxing match . . . they say in between blows ‘Do you have trouble with commitment?’, ‘I have trouble with commitment.’”

We genuinely did talk about love during a very tough match. It would have really freaked me out earlier in my poker career to try to maintain that level of interesting concentration with that difficult of a game.

PSW- Tell us about one of the most interesting hands against Melanie.

VC- There were a few. There was one where I almost felt sympathy for her. It was her button, she raised pre-flop, I called with [Qh][Th]. The flop came with two hearts. I check-raised, she called and the turn brought the flush. She only had 4500 and I bet 4000. She reminded me of myself when she talked about the agony she was in. She told me she had a pair of queens and knew I either just turned a flush or I didn’t have anything. I loved that Melanie was doing that because I’ll do the same thing. I’ll do it either as a sign of respect for my opponent or to get a tell from them. I genuinely felt sympathetic for her in that situation–there’s no way of knowing, you’re just tossing a coin. You’re either throwing away the huge hand you’ve been dealt as it’s not easy to get queens heads-up, or you’re paying off an exasperating value bet. She did call and that was a turning point in one of the matches. Though we took it in turns to get very low in chips and fight back I remember thinking during that hand “she’s so like I am.”

She is like me in other ways too. She’s in poker because she’s competitive and stubborn and very bright and funny. (I’m not saying I am) but I recognize her way of dealing with the world. She’s flirty, combative, difficult and likeable, and doesn’t like to be pushed around. She plays aggressively, almost to make a point about the World. And in that hand, watching her with queens and not sure what to do, was like looking in a mirror.

PSW- So how cool was it that two women ended up heads-up in a mixed field event, especially in a game type that’s particularly associated with poker skill?

VC- Poker players are obsessed with statistics so in addition to thinking about winning my second EPT event and my first live heads-up tournament win, I was musing that it might be the first time in history that a final table in a major mixed event has been all-female. I know there’s only two of us, but with two or with ten, have there ever been any all-female tables where it’s not a women’s event? I don’t think so.

PSW- Looking back, which was your toughest match overall?

VC- I played Annette (Obrestad) who is obviously very aggressive, but not in a way that’s easy to play against. And Melanie, of course is one of the best H-U players there is. She’s brilliant.

A Finnish guy called Juha Helppi played a style of H-U that I found difficult to play against. He makes very small pots, small raises, even limps the button occasionally. He absolutely won’t put a huge amount of chips in as a big mistake. You’re not going to find him putting in 4000 when you have the nuts. You have to keep concentrating all the time, and outwit him in small pots.

Then I had Dori Yacoub. He’s an older gentleman. He’s the kind of player that I’m grateful that at EPTs, the heads-up tournaments are best of three. It’s not like you play seven or eight hands and figure out “he’s this kind of player,” so it helped that I had more than one match to figure it out.

PSW- How do you describe your own heads-up style?

VC- I try to play in the same style as Juha Helppi, the Finnish guy. That’s why I found it hard to play against him. I try to play more and smaller hands. That’s effective against players who play very aggressively. But if you play someone who plays in the same way, your brains are constantly churning over these small pots. You can feel like you run a marathon.

PSW- It’s tougher for women to get experience in live heads-up because the tournaments tend to be very expensive, I’m sure in part because of the cost of paying the dealers.

VC- It’s tough for anyone to get experience in live heads-up. In the next season of EPT, season nine, the heads-up tournaments are going to be €1000. Of course I know that’s still very expensive if you’re a recreational player but it’s a lot less than €5,000. Anyway, practicing heads-up on the Internet is perfect. Online poker is for two things: 1.) You can play for any amount you want, and 2.) You can play in your pajamas drinking a martini. And this is something I know women appreciate. Get the practice in and the heads-up games you play live will not be as tough as the heads-up you play online.

PSW- You wrote an article about a year ago on your change of heart about Women’s Events. How did that come about?

VC- I’m definitely still of two minds about women’s events. Right at the beginning, when I was a novice player, I loved them. In 2001 I went to Vegas and played the ladies event there–it was a different universe. When the players arrived for the ladies, somebody announced “Let’s have a round of applause for the ladies who are all looking so lovely.” And everyone applauded and we were all given a flower. It was ridiculous but hilarious and I loved it.

Later on as more women came into poker through the Internet, I decided I didn’t like women’s events because I thought it was patronizing to suggest that women needed some sort of handicapped event. My mind was changed by two things. Firstly by a few women writing to me and posting on my blog, “Listen it’s not about thinking we can’t play against men. It’s about the fact that these live tournaments are all male. They said ‘We’re shy. We don’t want to turn up late at night in a room full of men, and have people thinking we’re weird.’” So just for people starting to play live tournaments, women can think of it as a social occasion, a fun way to get started and then play the mixed events later. So I thought “Well, no harm in it, but I won’t play because I don’t need that kind of reassurance, I’m very confident.”

Then I was at the PCA one year, and a Brazilian woman came up to me and said, “Are you insane? Why wouldn’t you play this tournament? Any restricted field you are eligible to play in you should play as it’s bound to be easier.” And a professional player should just think about where they are more likely to win. So I thought, why I didn’t think of that–a dumb obvious thing, I need to get over myself. It’s not just about the politics and the feminism.

So two sides of my brain do battle. When I’m not actually playing, one of the things I do as a writer, as a Team Pro and a commentator, is to encourage women into the game, reassure them not to be scared. So the other side of my brain is thinking “Well after having encouraged all these recreational players to get started, why I don’t sit down and try to take their money?” I’ve played a few since then and thought they were good fun. I played in three and cashed in all three (four after placing 2nd to Leo Margets in the EPT Grand Final Ladies Event).

PSW- That’s a stellar record! I agree that no one should criticize women for playing these events, whether for fun or for value. Besides, the more women who are thinking like you are, the tougher the fields become. At the PCA I had Vanessa Rousso and Ana Marquez to my left. In another I played with Vanessa Selbst and Liv Boeree, and people like Melanie and Xuan always play. You may even find yourself at a tougher table than in an ordinary 1K!

VC- That’s how times change, isn’t it?

PSW- Is it hard for you to find time to write during your poker schedule and keep up with deadlines?

VC- Yes, I have a weird life. I started writing about poker for a Chinese magazine. People who live in Hong Kong are often keen on gambling. I like this idea of a market hungry for poker stories. I was really late with it and was thinking, “How can I write it here, how can I concentrate?” Fortunately, after the heads-up I was so adrenalized by the win that I woke up after four hours sleep. So I found myself sitting out on the balcony at six in the morning, writing this article with another tournament to play at Noon. Probably not the best thing for my game, but good for keeping all the balls in the air.

PSW- So you won €60,000 with the heads-up title. When you have a big score, do you buy something nice for yourself or does it just go into the bankroll?

VC- I generally try to buy something nice, but coincidentally enough the day I won, I had an email from my best friend reminding me that I had to buy a wedding dress, which I keep forgetting about cause I find the idea of a full-length white dress so embarrassing. We were meant to go shopping for one next week, and I told her I was in Monte Carlo. And I thought, “I guess I won this money, it doesn’t have to be a 100 or 200 pound dress from Oxfam. I’m not going to spend €60,000 on a dress, I’m not insane!” But having shouted at my friend that I’m not going to spend a fortune on a dress you wear once and never again, maybe I’ll throw a little more money at the problem.

PSW- Oh yes, congratulations on your engagement (to David Mitchell). Does your fiancé play any poker?

VC- He does not, I am pleased to say. He once played in a charity poker tournament and he found it baffling. It’s kind of perfect; for me it wouldn’t work to marry a poker player. But he’s now at the stage where if he’s sitting next to me watching TV and I’m playing poker, he knows enough to sympathize if I get knocked out of a tournament but not enough to say “If you raised on the flop that may not have happened,” which is just about perfect.

Tags: archives | charity-poker | facebook | interview | lapt | monte-carlo | pca | planets | politics

The PokerStars European Poker Tour headed back to Monaco this year for the Season 8 Grand Final. Plenty of members of Team PokerStars Pros made their way to the principality for nine days of poker — after all, the Super High Roller, Main Event, and High Roller had to be

The trip didn’t start off so well for Daniel Negreanu. On April 21 he tweeted, “British Airways ahhhh! No bags again wtf! That’s the 4th time that’s happened with BA. My own fault I guess for trying them again. #steaming” Losing you bags is never fun, but Kid Poker headed back to the airport to rescue them after having “an awesome meal in Menton” at The Loving Hut.

Negreanu, along with 37 other players plopped down €100,000 to take part in the Super High Roller, which began on April 23. On Day 2 of the Super High Roller, Negreanu took it upon himself to order food for several people, including fellow pros David Williams (who was on his way into Monaco and is OK with “anything except cucumbers and olives), and Vanessa Selbst (who likes her spring rolls not fried).

There are a few ways of getting to Monaco — train, car, or helicopter. And when given the option, it’s always best to ride in style, which is what David Williams did. Chris Moneymaker did the same, tweeting, “Just landed in Nice. About to jump in a helicopter for quick ride to Monaco.”

David Williams’ helicopter

Of the eight players who made it to the final table of the Super High Roller, Team PokerStars Pro represented half the field — Daniel Negreanu, Jonathan Duhamel, Eugene Katchalov, and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier. “Made the final table of SHR. Gonna be a sick fight with @realkidpoker @eugenekatchalov @jonathanduhamel @justinbonomo +masa patrik tobias,” ElkY tweeted. Negreanu and ElkY cashed in sixth and third respectively, and Justin Bonomo walked away with the title and €1.6 million first-place prize.

If you’ve got a view from your hotel room like most of the Pros did, it’s a given that there will be plenty of obligatory “awesome view” tweets, like this one from Lex Veldhuis, “Obgligatory Monte Carlo balcony view pic: one of my favorite hotels on EPTour. #eptgrandfinal”

Lex Veldhuis’ view

And some of the pros use the “my balcony has a nice view” as a way to lure Achtung players over. “Are we getting an #Achtung game going. My balcony has a nice view… Where u guys at? @VanessaSelbst @ssigsbee @ah_22,” tweeted Jason Mercier.

By the time that the Super High Roller was over, the Main Event was well under way. There were a number of pros in the field on Day 1a, but on Day 1b, one Pro was ready to make some history. “And day1b of #EPTGrandFinal is starting now. About time I become the first double champion. Joke has ran on for long enough! #itstime,” tweeted ElkY.

Liv Boeree got ready for Day 1b in an interesting way. “Ate a whole one of these last night for a dare, the accidentally rubbed my eye. Hell does exist.” We would never recommend that.

Liv Boeree’s hot stuff

ElkY’s Day 1 didn’t go as well as he’d like, but he didn’t give up hope. “6k going into last level of the night. Everything been going wrong so far, Time to turn it into 200k soon. #whywoulditend #EPTGrandFinal.” But it eventually came to an end, “And my dream of becoming the first Double EPT Champion will have to wait till Barcelona. Busted 55 vs @BigCheese_Poker AJhh next to the end.” Even though, he still didn’t give up hope, “Good night sleep and hardcore workout are the best remedies for bustout. Will be ready to take on the world again ! #thingsiwishiknewbefore”

As we all know, patience is a virtue and it’s definitely something that’s needed in poker tournaments. “Being so overwhelmingly patient I deserve a medal for patience for being patient in patient times #EPTPatience,” tweeted Boeree, followed by, “Russian kid keeps coughing on me #EPTPatience.”

Barry Greenstein took the saying “when in Rome” literally while in Monaco, tweeting quite a bit of his updates in French — and since we didn’t take French in school, we didn’t understand any of it.

Even though the Pros were in Monaco for the Grand Final, the upcoming SCOOP was on the minds of some. “Thinking about going to Mexico to play SCOOPs now. Is internet stable and what’s the best spot there for you guys? Any links? Thanks,” tweeted ElkY. Angel Guillen was quick to answer, “@elkypoker Mexico city is close to perfect internet wise, if u wanna go to the beach u could have a 2nd connection just in case”

Tags: airport | australia | european | events | facebook | france | lapt | pokerstars macau | russian | season 8 | wbcoop

With eight seasons of the European Poker Tour now passed, the circuit has amassed more than 80 champions. They come from all places, backgrounds, and bankrolls, but only a couple are the Champion of Champions. This week, Season 6 EPT Warsaw winner Christophe Benzimra became one of them.

For the past couple of seasons, the EPT has hosted the Champion of Champions event at the season-ending Grand Final. The €100,000 freeroll is open to anyone who has an EPT title. Last year, Jason Mercier cemented his place among the champs. This year, the honor went to Benzimra.

Benzimra got heads-up with EPT Loutraki champion Zimnan Ziyard heads-up and took down the win for €35,000 worth of buy-ins to EPT Season 9 tournaments. The 49-year-old Frenchman beat out 39 champs for the title.

“It feels fantastic! I’m very happy,” he said. “I haven’t been playing much this season but I will be next season.”

In 2009, Benzimra won EPT Warsaw for €400,000 just a few years after taking up poker. Though he’s been out of the game for most of the year, he and five other champs now have a lot of buy-ins to spend in Season 9.

Here are the final results to the Season 8 Champion of Champions tourney.

Congrats to Benzimra on his win.

EPT Season 8 Champion of Champions results

1st – Christophe Benzimra (EPT Warsaw champion) – €35,000
2nd – Zimnan Ziyard (EPT Loutraki champion)- €25,000
3rd – Jake Cody (EPT Deauville champion) – €17,500
4th – Arnaud Mattern (EPT Prague champion) – €10,000
5th – Frederik Jensen (EPT Madrid champion) – €7,500
6th – Mohsin Charania (EPT Grand Final champion) – €5,000
The bubble was EPT Dortmund champion Sandra Naujoks.

Tags: australia | Baltic Poker Festival | European Poker Tour | madrid | napt | russian poker series | SCOOP | tournaments

Being the first Tuesday in May, this edition of the PokerStars Super Tuesday will attempt to channel the spirit of a certain horserace running on the first Saturday in May. This week’s a field of 456 nominees, each putting up $1,050 dollars, create a purse of $456,000 to be passed out among the top 54 finishers with the winner expecting to earn over $87,000. Several notable players made the final table, but only one was the leader as Stefan “I’amSound” Huber never lost his chip lead to win in dominating fashion.

Fortunately, no players were harmed in the running of this tournament, although there may have been some crushing of souls.

Cashing contenders and Team PokerStars players

Popular selections such as Felipe “Improved” Montenengro (29th), TJ “1BigAceHole” Ulmer (33rd), Alex “Assassinato” Fitzgerald (43rd), Pascal “Pass_72″ Lefrancois (45th), Chris “Moorman1″ Moorman and Fabian “fabstinho” Quoss (50th) visited the pay window, but not collecting a desired final table seat.

Players sponsored by PokerStars had trouble making the money. Two players cashed as Team PokerStars Online players Diego “vgreen22″ Brunelli (38th) and Anders “Donald” Berg (46th, below) earned a few bucks. They fared better than
Kevin “WizardOfAhhs” Thurman, Toni Judet, Andre Akkari, and Javier ‘El_Cañonero’ Dominguez as the red spade logo couldn’t guarantee a money-earning position.

Danijelamik late scratch, out in 10th place ($5,928.00)

There were ten hopefuls jockeying for a spot at the final table, but only nine seats available as hand-for-hand play began, taking just one hand. The blinds were at 2,000/4,000 with an ante of 500 as Stefan “I’amSound” Huber opened with a min-raise holding [as][ks]. In the big blind, danijelamik moved in from the big blind with [6c][6s], and it appeared to be a head-bobbing finish. However, the flop was [Kh][8c][2c] as I’amSound moved clear. That lead was extended with the [5h] turn and [Ac] river sending danijelamik off to the paddock just short of making the final table.

Here’s how the field was positioned when the final table starting gate was released:

Seat 1: pokerpro_kk1 (248,563 in chips)
Seat 2: RLOG (267,958 in chips)
Seat 3: tonkaaaa (350,306 in chips)
Seat 4: UT99PL/YER (208,086 in chips)
Seat 5: Sebastian “p0cket00″ Sikorski (154,864 in chips)
Seat 6: Don Marato (330,073 in chips)
Seat 7: Stefan “I’am_Sound” Huber (408,176 in chips)
Seat 8: Greg” gregior” Howard (110,916 in chips)
Seat 9: Marvin “Ron Jovi 7″ Rettenmaier (201,058 in chips)

Several known players and some outsiders looking for a major score, how will it turn out?

Tonkaaaa starts fast, falls back to 9th ($7,569.60)

Starting the final table second in chips, tonkaaaa surely expected to be around a while and finish in the trifecta. Sometimes, you lose the irons and drift to the back. It also doesn’t help when you lose coinflips, which is what happened to tonkaaaa. Losing most of their chips when RLOG’s A-K outflopped their queens, tonkaaaa tried to get them back a few hands later against I’amSound. The blinds were now 2,400/4,800 with an ante of 600 as tonkaaaa min-raised to 4,800 with [ah][jh]. Holding [2s][2h], I’amSound re-raised to put tonkaaaa all-in, calling with their remaining 122,000 chips. Another neck-and-neck battle was quickly dashed on the flop: [jc][3h][2d], giving I’amSound a set versions tonkaaaa’s top-top. The turn was the [8c], ending any drama leaving the record to show the [4d] fell on the river.

Gregior’s ticket cancelled in 8th ($10,260.00)

Greg “gregior” Howard was a long shot to win tonight’s Super Tuesday, starting last in chips. Finding [ah][jh] on the button and a raise from p0cket00 was worthy of going all-in for their last 121,000 chips. The problem was p0cket00 had the better hand, calling with [ad][kd]. The board ran out [4h][2d][2c][9d] [3c], meaning Howard would have to wait a little longer to claim a 2nd Super Tuesday title (his first win was back in 2008).

UT99PL/YER mad at Marvin, dispatched in 7th ($14,820.00)

Marvin “Ron Jovi 7″ Rettenamier already earned a hefty score in a side event during the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo and was hoping to add an online score to his quest for cash. His stack enjoyed a healthy boost after eliminating UT99PL/ER. Play was now at 2,800/5,600 with a 700 ante as I’amSound limped, Rettenamier re-raised to 12,680. UT99PL/YER cold four-bet shoved for over 171,000 with [6d][6c]. I’amSound folded, but Rettenmaier couldn’t find a fold when he held [kc][ks]. It was a match race between a champion racehorse and a bottom-level claimer as the board runs out [9h] [7d] [3h] [5h] [Qc] leaving six runners to pick from to determine a winner.

No tomorrow for Don Morato, out in 6th ($19,380.00)

Stefan “I’amSound” Huber moved out to a widening lead as the other five players held back hoping for a stumble. But a pair of river cards in big spots would turn this competition from a competition into a near-walkover in spectacular fashion. The blinds were now 3,200/6,400 with an 800 ante as Don Morato took their shot at overtaking the leader.

RSS readers click through to see replay

The dreaded counterfeit moves Huber to over one million chips, almost as many as the other four players combined.

Rettenmaier steaming after Huber rivers again, finishing 5th ($25,536.00)

More fun on the river for Huber, as he flushes away Marvin “Ron Jovi 7″ Rettenmaier’s chance for a live/online double this week. The blinds were now 3,600/7,200 with a 900 ante as this hand played out:

RSS readers click through to see replay

The chip counts would be as follows going into the last half of the tournament:

I’am_Sound:1,651,793
RLOG: 317,905
pokerpro_kk1: 165,787
p0cket00: 144,515

The standings would give you the impression Stefan “I’amSound” Huber was moving like a tremendous machine, like Secretariat. Would someone make a Silky Sullivan-type comeback from the clouds to overtake Huber?

Pokerpro_kk1 rolled by RLOG, to the rail in 4th ($36,480.00)

While Huber was padding his stack, the other three were battling for the minor placings. Blinds are now 4,000/8,000 with a 1,000 ante as pokerpro_kk1 min-raised as RLOG set the Brazilian all in for their last 162,000 chips. Cards were on their backs as pokerpro_kk1 held the lead with [as][tc] against RLOG’s [kd][8d]. The door card on the flop was the [ks], followed by the [th] and [9c] giving both players a pair. The [7h[5c] turn and river helped neither player, which was fine for RLOG, establishing a solid second place with three players left.

I’amSound silences RLOG in 3rd ($47,880.00)

The odds gave the appearance it would be I’amSound and RLOG in the exacta, but p0cket00, a winner of the first Super Tuesday of 2011, had other ideas. P0cket00 was able to double through I’amSound, then eventually took 2nd place from RLOG with pocket queens v. A-8. Holding less than 20 big blinds at 4,500/9,000 with a 1,125 ante, that wouldn’t stop a five-bet raising war on the flop versus I’amSound in RLOG’s final hand:

RSS readers click through to see replay

P0cket00 humbled by Huber, runner-up for $64,980.00

No need to extend the drama, Stefan “I’amSound” Huber held an over 6-1 heads-up lead and wasn’t easing down as the wire approached. Sebastian “p0cket00″ Sigorski would only win two hands in their battle, with the final hand starting with the deficit now 10-1 in favor of Huber. A min-raise from the small blind by Huber induced a shove for the last 193,000 chips in the stack of Sigorski, none too pleased to see their [jh][th] dominated by Huber’s [as][jd]. The flop came [ah][kh][7d], giving Sigorski a flush draw, a straight draw and a royal flush draw. The [kd] was the right color, if players were using a two-color deck, but the [ks] on the river gave Huber an unnecessary full house, which was good for a boost of their account by $87,506.40. Sigorski “settles” for $64,980.00 for the second place finish.

Congrats to Stefan Huber, winning tonight’s Super Tuesday like a front-runner should.

May 1, 2012 Super Tuesday final table results:

1st: Stefan “I’amSound” Huber – $87,506.40
2nd: Sebastian “p0cket00″ Sigorski – $64,980.00
3rd: RLOG – $47,880.00
4th: pokerpro_kk1 – $36,480.00
5th: Marvin “Ron Jovi 7″ Rettenmaier – $25,536.00
6th: Don Marato – $19,380.00
7th: UT99PL/YER – $14,820.00
8th: Greg “gregior” Howard – $10,260.00
9th: tonkaaa – $7,569.60

A note for Super Tuesday fans: the tournament will not be held for the next two weeks as the SCOOP tournament series will take over in its place. Forty tournaments, each with three separate buy-ins, will give players plenty to chew on from May 6th through May 20th.

Tags: Baltic Poker Festival | ept | eureka poker tour | European Poker Tour | events | facebook | france | italian poker tour | latin-america | news | portugal poker series | wbcoop

The one thing poker players like doing more than anything else is playing poker. The second thing they like doing is heading to a swanky cafe/restaurant overlooking Monte Carlo bay, drinking champagne out of delicate glass flutes and listening to the results of the EPT8 Awards, punctuated by the comedy stylings of TV’s Joe Stapleton. Who wouldn’t.

It turns out that this week those poker players have been in luck. After one of the most demanding and rewarding festivals of poker the world has ever seen, tonight everyone could cut loose at Cafe Llorca, in the Grimaldi Forum, Monaco, for the latest EPT party.

But this was not just any old EPT party. It was the last one of the tournament year, where those awards would also been handed out to some of the very best players of a scintillating season.

What they’ve been playing for all season

Stapleton took to the stage in inimitable style: beer in one hand, five o’clock shadow on his chin and a list of gags at hand. “What do Daniel Negreanu and an emergency room have in common?” he asked. “Neither of them ever closes.”

The internet’s Joe Stapleton

The biggest laugh was from Negreanu himself, fresh from losing heads up in the €25,000 High Roller event, and now finding needles stabbed into his wounds. But Negreanu seemed well equipped to cope with the disappointment, sitting in the VIP seats alongside fellow Team PokerStars Pro Liv Boeree and posing for pictures with anyone who just happened to be passing.

Daniel Negreanu poses for a photo

Stapleton pressed on, awarding the first two trophies of the night to the Welsh player Roberto Romanello. Romanello won both the EPT Achievement of the Year and the Player’s Choice award, popular among commentators and peers alike.

Roberto Romanello, left, celebrates double success

From there, we celebrated the success of Melanie Weisner (Heads Up Player of the Year), Salvatore Bonavena (Mixed Game Player of the Year) and Khiem Nguyen (Omaha Player of the Year) before Pierre Neuville swaggered onto stage in a white-shirt-white-shoes-white-suit combo not seen since Thomas Wolfe stopped playing on the EPT.

“What did I win?” asked Neuville, apparently unaware that the self-styled Serial PokerStars Qualifier was now PokerStars Qualifier of the Year. Expect the embroiderers of Belgium to be rubbing their needles together with glee, and putting up prices for bespoke garment decoration.

The man from Del Monte, Pierre Neuville

Lebanon won Country of the Year, before we made it to the big one: EPT Player of the Year. That meant an appearance on stage of the EPT Director Edgar Stuchly, who told the gathering masses that Ondrej Vinklarek had beaten the likes of Romanello, Martin Finger, Steve O’Dwyer and Jonathan Duhamel to the top prize.

Vinklarek came to accept his prize, pose for the camera, and just like that we were done.

Ondrej Vinklarek collects his award from Edgar Stuchly

A full list of nominees and winners is below. Many of them were cut down from much longer lists, the full details of which will be making its way to the EPT Facebook page.

As you read this, the majority of this year’s fine talents are still demonstrating their abilities at the free bar at Cafe Llorca. Soon after, they will be stumbling to their chauffeur-driven limos and yachts.

That’s the end of another wonderful EPT season. Sail away.

EPT ACHIEVEMENT OF THE YEAR
(Voted for by the media)

Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier
Pierre Neuville
Steve O’Dwyer
Mickey Petersen
Luca Pagano
Roberto Romanello
Benny Spindler
Jonathan Duhamel

PLAYER’S CHOICE

Nicolas Levi
Steve O’Dwyer
Mickey Petersen
Roberto Romanello
Benny Spindler

OMAHA PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jose “Nacho” Barbero
Ori Miller
Tome Moreira
Khiem Nguyen
Roman Romanovsky
Ben Vinson

MIXED GAME PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Chris Brammer
Salvatore Bonavena
Martin Kabrhel
Ricky Tang
Dave Ulliot
David Williams

HEADS UP PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Martin Finger
David Kolmberger
Melanie Weisner
Nick Yunis

ONLINE QUALIFIER OF THE YEAR

Martin Finger
Mick Graydon
Kevin MacPhee
Pierre Neuville
Zimnan Ziyard

BEST COUNTRY

Bulgaria
Denmark
France
Ireland
Lebanon
Russia
Spain

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jonathan Duhamel
Martin Finger
Eugene Katchalov
Steve O’Dwyer
Roberto Romanello
Andrej Vinklarek
Nick Yunis

Tags: Asia Pacific Poker Tour | ept | festival | liv boeree | season 8 | team pokerstars pro | TOC | World Series of Poker

Spaniard Leo Margets took down the title at the EPT Grand Final Ladies event here in Monte Carlo this evening after beating Team Pokerstars Pro Victoria Coren in a heads-up which saw the chips swing backwards and forwards. The top two finishers made a deal prior to heads-up play to flatten the payouts. It all came down to the final hand where Vicky’s A-9 did not improve against Leo’s A-Q.

The day started with 12 players but within half an hour a final table of nine was reached after Maya Geller, Coralie Nauder and Melanie Weisner were eliminated. Play slowed down considerably as they moved closer to the money. Vanessa Selbst, who started the day as chip leader, had a string of unlucky hands before she busted out without a money finish at the hands of EPT London Ladies Champion Jan Combes.

Jan had played a strong tournament and was chip leader in the latter stages but she was sent to the rail by Leo and had to settle for fourth place. Vicky then knocked Nicole Kotrinas out in third after her A-Q held up against Nicole’s A-7.

Leo, 28, lives half the year in London and the rest in her native Barcelona as well as travelling the world playing poker. She started playing in 2008 but by the following year she had turned pro after finishing in the WSOP Main Event in 27th place cashing $352,832 and was also the ‘last woman standing’.

Leo Margets

Prior to discovering poker she studied in London and then worked as a Player Relations Manager and Interpreter at all the tennis Grand Slams and then went to work for sport’s giant IMG.

She was thrilled to win the title today as well as the gigantic trophy and said it rounded off a great week for her as she also cashed in the main event. She is reinvesting her winnings in her bankroll in preparation for the WSOP this summer.

Final table results
Results based on two-way deal

1st: Leo Margets €16,850
2nd: Victoria Coren (Pokerstars Team Pro) €10,950
3rd: Jan Combes (EPT London Ladies Champion) €6,380
4th: Nicole Kotrinos €4,560
5th: Ingrida Klassen €3,650
6th: Darya Hulyk €3,200

Tags: 2011 | archives | ept | estrellas poker tour | eureka poker tour | italian | napt | planets | russian | SCOOP | team pokerstars pro | tournaments

High Roller tournaments at major poker festivals will always attract fewer players than the main event. It’s something to do with the buy in being at least twice the size (and often significantly more).

But High Rollers are also utterly compelling, a concentrated distillation of all that we love. Almost every pot means phenom-versus-phenom in a battle of wills, and when the champion is crowned you know you’re either going to see an established superstar clutching the trophy, or the face of a person who has outwitted the best in the world.

Today’s winner was very nearly from the former category. The Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu was heads up for the €25,000 High Roller event at the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino EPT Grand Final. But instead take a look at the man below. That is Igor Kurganov and he is €1,080,000 richer after showing that he too has an awful lot of game.

Igor Kurganov, champion

But don’t go thinking that Kurganov is a rookie either. He is no stranger to the top competition. He has finished runner up in two €10,000 buy in events on the European Poker Tour in the past couple of years, and this time was adamant not to be bridesmaid again. He had been a short stack four-handed, but battled back, and when they got heads up, Negreanu himself tweeted: “The kid is tough.”

Bang on.

Igor Kurganov and Daniel Negreanu heads up for the title

They traded the chip lead back and forth in the final stages, each doubling up and then being knocked back down. Negreanu was eventually forced to settle for €598,600 for second place, missing out on what would have been the biggest single payday in a career in which he has earned more than $15m in tournament prizes.

Daniel Negreanu deep in thought

Even to get heads up, those two had had to out-battle some mighty contenders. Justin Bonomo, who had recently won the Super High Roller event, carried a massive chip lead to the final table, but the blazing Bonomo would melt this time in fourth.

Justin Bonomo: Fell short in bid for second High Roller

That was one place before Philipp Gruissem, the man rapidly becoming Mr High Roller. Gruissem was at his fifth High Roller final table of the season, and he had already won two of them. But Gruissem would this time bust in third, with a €366,000 payday to cushion his fall. (Plus a piece of Kurganov.)

Philipp Gruissem: Mr High Roller finishes third

All of that followed the departure of Max Lykov, Nathan Schoo, Noah Schwartz and Artem Litvinov in eighth through fifth. Each one of those is some player too, and Negreanu had to crack Lykov’s kings to get rid of the obdurate Russian Team PokerStars Pro.

After that, though, the final table flew by, bringing us to that heads up.

Negreanu would have been a hugely popular champion. Kurganov too. This time is fell to the latter, but the Germans have a lock on the High Rollers this season. Negreanu will have to try again next time.

And that is all but the end of season eight on the European Poker Tour. You can take a look back on everything that happened in our enormous PokerStars Blog EPT archive. Or if it’s just this week in Monaco you’re after, we can do that too.

Today’s High Roller witterings are available to anyone with the balls to click any of the links below.

High Rollers, ladies and champions
High Roller comes out of the spotlight
Noah Schwartz busts amid the banter
The space-time continuum
A four-handed round

It’s EPT Awards and party time now, and we will have a full round-up from there later on tonight. That’s if you can keep your eyes open long enough, of course.

High Roller final table. A thrilling business

Goodnight!

Tags: archives | delicious | ept | European Poker Tour | festival | monte-carlo | news | pokerstars | portugal | season 8 | tournaments | videos